HBA Mutations Detected By MLPA In Beta-Thalassemia Patients

Abstract

Thalassemia syndromes are the most common monogenic disorders in humans and b-thalassemia major is one of the most important public health problems in Turkey. Many genetic factors play roles in modifying the disease severity such as mutations in the alpha globin gene (HBA), UGT1 gene (bilirubin metabolism) or HFE gene (iron metabolism). Deletions or duplications in HBA gene determine the accumulation of a chain in b-thalassemia major patients. The human alpha globin gene cluster is located on chromosome 16 and deletions or duplications are the most important mutations. Multiple ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA) technique is a simple and rapid technique and used in many genetic disorders in which deletions and duplications are common. In this study we used a commercial MLPA kit for detecting alpha globin gene mutations. The kit contains 24 different probes in the HBA region. In this study we aimed to investigate the incidence of alpha globin gene mutations using MLPA technique in 19 b-thalassemia major patients which were diagnosed in our department.Alpha globin gene deletions were detected in 2 out of 19 (10.5%) b-thalassemia major patients. In one of the patients the deletion was located between the HBA2 gene and HBA1P gene. The deletion detected in the other patient was located between the HBA1 gene and HBA2 gene. This result suggests that alpha globin gene mutations in b-thalassemia major patients are not rare. MLPA technique is suitable to investigate the mutations in this complex gene cluster.